(ConservativeFreePress.com) – The Washington Post reported that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could end up releasing thousands of migrants as its funds were expected to run out by May.
According to the report, four ICE officials had claimed that the agency had drafted plans for releasing migrants and reducing the hold capacity for detainees following the failure of the bipartisan Senate border bill. Had the bill passed it would have taken care of erasing the $700 million budget shortfall of the agency.
NBC News reported that two Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials had forecasted that the budget shortfall was going to be over $500 million unless action was taken by Congress. Several other areas of the department are also believed to be experiencing shortfalls.
Last week, the $118 billion bipartisan Senate deal would have included over $15 billion to be given to DHS. However, the House GOP was quick to oppose the bill and have in its place pushed forward a more restrictive border security bill that had been passed a year earlier.
The GOP has argued that President Joe Biden did not need Congress in order to take action and that he has the tools to improve border security, in the same way that former President Donald Trump had done. However, the Democrats have maintained that it is the Republicans’ fault that the DHS has not received the necessary funding.
A DHS spokesperson has pointed out that without the supplemental bill, the DHS removal operations could be at risk.
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